George a



(No Model.)

G.-A.BBAGH. CARRIAGE SPEAKIG TUBE.

No. 368,979. PatentedMay .31, 1887.

w'cZIv-ze Sses f PATENT OFFICE.'

GEORGE A. BEACH, OEOHIOAGO, ILLINOIS, AssrGNOE OF ONE-HALE To JAMES F. SOMES,

OF SAME PLACE.

CARRIAGE SPEAKING-TUBE.,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'363,979, dated May 31,1887. Application filed February 24,1887. Serial No. 228,647. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE A. BEACH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, liaveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Carriage Speaking-Tubes, of which the following is a specification.

` My invention relates'to carriage speakingtubes, and more particularly to certain improvements upon the ca-rriage speaking-tube heretofore patented to me in Letters Patent No. 356,740, dated February l, 1887. In my said Fatent No. 356,740 the speaking-tube extends from and through the drverfs seat to the interior of the carriage, being provided with telescoping sections and springs for contracting the said sections together. improvement the 1speakingtube consists of one continuous flexible tube provided with mouth-pieces at each end, and it is contracted or folded out of the way'within the boot of the carriage by means of a spring windingdrum, folding level', o r pulleys located within the boot. By this meansl am enabled to materially simplify and cheapen the construction of my carriage speaking-tube, and at the same time increase its durability and render its operation more easy and effecti've.

In. the accompanying` drawings, which form a part of this specification, andin which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is au enlarged side view of the speaking-tube, showing onel half or part of the windingdrum removed. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the Windingdrum. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the socket for the guide-tube. Fig. 5 is a detail section of the mouth-piece. Fig. 6 is a detail section of the removable ear-piece. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the carriage, showing a modification in which and Sshapelever is substituted for the winding-drum.v Fig. 8 is adetail plan view of said S -shaped lever, and Fig. 9 shows another slight modification, in which spring-pulleys are substituted for the windingdrum, as the spring take-up device.

In said drawings, A represents the drivers seatof the carriage, A the carriage body orinterior, and A2- the hollow frame or boot ex- In my presentv `The length of this iiexible tube is considerably greater than the distance from the drivers seat A to the front shell or wall, A3, of the carriage-body, sov as to permit the drivers mouth-piece b to be raised into position for 6o use, while the other mouth-piece is at the same time drawn out. The surplus length of hose or tube is-wound or folded up by means of a spring-folder, D. This folder consists of a drum, which is made in two parts, d d,niounte'd 65 on a suitable axis, d', which is provided with al spring, d2, to cause the hose to wind around the drum. The parts d d of the drum are each provided with a semicircular S -shaped groove, di, extending almost diametrically across the 7o adjoining ends of the parts d d of the drum. These two half-grooves d3 d register with cach other, and together form around S- shaped hole through the drum for the tube B to lie in or pass through. The parts d dof the 75 drum are secured together by the shaft d, or

by other suitable means. To insert the hose B in place, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the parts d d of the drum 'are first slightly separated from each other, when thehose may be laid in 8O the semicircular S-shaped groove in one of the parts d, and then the other part d slipped into place and secured. By giving the groove d:i an S form, as indicated in the drawings,

sharp bends or kinks are avoidedin the tube, S5

which might otherwise interfere with 'conimunication through the same. i The flexible tube B is provided with a guidetube, C, extending vertically downward from the driver-s seat A, and a similar guide-tube, oO

C', which is secured to the front wall, A3, ofthe carriage-body. The bell b of the speakingtube is'provided with a iiange, b', thus forming an annular space, b2, between said flange guide-tube between the same and the wall of the hole in the seat A. The thimble or socket c is provided with a ilange, c, which fits against the upper surface of the seat. The guide-tube C is also preferably cemented in place. The guide-tubes are preferably made of stiff two or three ply rubber hose. The thimblc c also serves as a socket or seat for the .mouth-piece or bell Z) of the speaking-tube. The cushion A of the drive1"sseat is furnished with a suitable hole or recess, A5, so that the rim of the bell will extend up only about flushv with the upper surface of the cushion, and thus be completely concealed from view. I-I represents an ear-piece for confining the sound, which may be inserted in the end ot' the mouth-piece or bell Z when necessary. This ear-piece may bek ept in a suitable pocket or receptacle in the cushion in the drivers seat. lt is a matter of convenience where there is a great deal of noise, as in driving over the stones of the street or pavement.

In Figs. 7 and S I have shown as an equivalent for the drum D an S-shaped hollow lever, G, through which the speakingtube is inserted the saine as through the S-g'roove in the two parts cl d of the drum. The hole or groove d in this lever corresponds to the similar hole or groove d in the two parts d d of the drum D. The axis or pivot of the lever G is furnished with a spring, (tithe saine as the spring on the shaft of the drum.

In Fig. 9, as a further equivalent, I have shown a pair of groovcd spring-pulleys, K K, around which the speakingtube passes, and which draw toward each other when the speakingtube is drawn out for use. In this case a pair of springs, d'1, is preferably employed, one for each of the pulleys.

The operation of my tube-folding takelup is obviously the same, whether t-he said takeup be made in the form of a drum,a lever, or a pair of pulleys. X'Vhere the tube-folding take-up is made in the form of a drum, as first described, the fold or folds produced thereby in the ilexible speakingtube will ofcourse be circular in form, and where the tube-folding take-up is made in the form of a lever or pair of pulleys the folds in the speakiugvtube will of course be oblong instead of circular'folds or coils. In ease, however, the drum should not be a circular drum, the folds produced by the drum would of course in that case not be circular; and it should also be observed that as the flexible tube B passes through the drum the first folds produced by the drum are oblong folds, similar to those produced by tho lever and by the pulleys, and are not, in fact, coils, as is clearly shown in Fic. 2.

As the speaking-tube Gas well as the means for controlling the same are contained wholly within the interior of the hollow frame, leg7 or boot A2 of the carriage, and as the drivers mouth-piece b extends directly up through an opening in the seat-,while the other mouth-piece simply extends through the front wall, A, of the carriage-body, it will be observed that my carriage speaking-tube is wholly concealed from view when the same is not in use, and therefore in no way'injures the appearance of the carriage, while at the same time thc mouthpicces are both conveniently accessible and free from danger ofinjury.

I do not herein claim the telescoping speaking-tube, made in two or more parts, extending from the drivers seat to the carriagebody, as shown and described in my former patent, above referred to. In my present invention a continuous unbroken flexible tubeis employed, provided with a mouthpiece at each end and extending from the drivers seat to the can ringe-body, and combined with an automatic spring winding or folding dcvice-sucl.1 as a drum, lever, or pulleys, as shown in the drawings-which operates to contract the continlr ous tube. By means of this tube Yfolding or eoiling device I am thus enabled to employ a continuous tube, the bore of which is smooth and unbroken andoperates to convey the soundvibrations much more perfectly than broken or telescoping tubes, especial] y when such tubes are provided with internal springs to contract the tubes automatically.

I claim-M 1. rIhe combination, in a carriage, of the drivers scat, the carriage-body, and the hollow front frame or boot of the carriage, with a long'flexiblc continuous speakiugtubeextcnding through said hollow frame from the drivcrs seat to the interior of said carriage-lmdy, and a tube-folding takeup connected to the speakingtube between the ends of the same for taking up the slack by folding the tube upon itself between its ends, substantially as specified.

2. rlhe combination, with the earriagebody and the driveris seat, of a long flexible tiibe,

B, extending from the drivers seat to the intcrior of the carriagebody and provided with a mouth-piece, b, at cach end, a springtube Vfolding take-up connected to the speaking'tube between the ends of' the same, for taking up the slack by `folding the tube between its ends, and the guide-tubes C C', substantially as specilied.

3.'The combination, with a carriagebody and the drivers seat thereof, of a long flexible continuous speaking-tube, 3, provided with a mouth-piece, b, at each end, and a drum, I), provided withaspring, (Z2, for taking up the slack in said tube when the same is not in use, said tube B winding upon said drum, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with a carriage-body and the drivers seat thereof, ot' a long flcxible continuous speaking-tube, I3, provided with a mouth-piece, at each end, and a drum, I), provided with a spring, d, for taking up the slack iu said tube when the sameisnot in use, and guide-tubes C C, said tubcBwinding upon said drum, substantially as specified.

y3. The combination, with a carriage-body and the drivcrs seat thereof', of a long flexible continuous speakingtube, B, provided IlO Igo

with a mouth-piece, b, at each end, and a drum, D, provided with aspring, d2, for taking up the slack in said tube when the same is not in use, said winding-drum. D being made in two parts, d d, having registering grooves d cl3 cut in their adjoining ends and extending through the drum, through which the speaking-tube passes, substantially as specified..

6: The combination,with the carriage-body A and the drivers seat A thereof, cushion or upholstery A, furnished With a recess, A5, thi mble or socket c, guide-tube C, long continuous llexible speaking-tube B,vhaving mouth-piece b at each end, a spring winding-drum, D, and guide-tube C', secured to the front wall, A3, of the carriage-body, substantially as specified.

7. The combination ofthe carriagebody and the drivers seat thereof, a long continuous flexible speakingtube, B, having mouth-piene b at each end, said mouth-pieces being prof vided with flanges b', for securing the sarne on the end of the flexible speaking-tube, aspring Windingdruin, D, for taking up the slack, and a removable ear-piece, H, adapted to fit in said vmouthpiece b, substantially as specified.

8. The combination, with a carriage-body7 its front Wall, A3, its hollow front frame, AH

its drivers seat A, said seat and front wall having each a socket or openingfor a mouthpiece, of along continuous eXible speaking-tube, B, provided at each end with a mouth-piece, b, and a winding-drum, D, mounted within said hollow franiefor taking up the slack in said iiexible tube, said winding drum having an ogee or S shaped groove or'hole extending dianietrically through it to receive said speakingltube, substantially as specified.

GEORGE A. BEACH.

Vitnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, LEW. E. CURTIS. 

